Como Zoo and Friends

Yesterday, we decided that we were going to go to the Como Zoo today.  The first thing JV said to me this morning was, "Mom, look!  The sun is up.  We can go to the zoo now!"  So off we went.  Fortunately, friends that we haven't seen in a some time were able to join us for the day!  The boys hit it off right away even after not seeing each other since the summer.  Having "E" there made JV's day.

 

As I said, it didn't take long to warm up.

 

"The bear is going to get us!  Ahhh!"

 Yes, we did see animals between all the playtime.

 

...and animal prints...

 

Time for a lunch break

 

"E" has twin baby sisters who needed to nap, but JV and I stayed a bit longer to enjoy the flower.

 

How does a child learn?  Through, touch of course.

 

JV's taking a moment to enjoy the wishing well.

 

He really wants to touch the water at the wishing well, but is using good 'listening ears' and refraining.

 

One last picture before we leave, "Cheese!"

 

Believe it or not he learned a lot today.    Next time you see him ask:

How does a polar bear stay warm? 

JV would say, "Blubber". 

What's the difference between a monkey and an ape? 

"A monkey has a tail.  An 'acorn' has no tail."

Kiddywampus

Today we went to Kiddywampus' Art Studio.  They have lots of craft ideas, but you can pretty much create anything you want.  JV started with dinosaur crafts, but spent the majority of the time painting on the wall. 

 

 

He's painting the ocean.

 

Working on his dinosaurs.

 

Below is JV's masterpiece, an ocean: sea turtles, fish, sharks, and of course, fish food included. 

 

Showing off his dino projects.

 

"Cheese!"

Stop. Drop and Roll!

A while back I called the fire station and set up a field trip for my mom's group.  I had done this in the past with Cville Nannies in VA and the kids had a blast so I thought, "Why not?".   First a firewomen used the fire teddy bear below and pictures to teach the kids about fire safety.

Next we watched a ABC video that incorperated fire safty, and lastly we go to see the fire trucks!

I know J doesn't understand "Stop, drop, and roll." or fire safety rules, but events like this encourage social, cognitive, developmental, and language development.

~ Mama Rach